Alvaro Alonso Barba

Alvaro Alonso Barba was a Catholic priest and metallurgist born in Lepe, a town in the province of Seville, in Andalusia, Spain, in 1569.

[1] Antonio (1786) says, "Baeticus ex oppido Lepe, apud Potosi"; hence Barba is assumed to be of Andalusian origin, from the ancient Roman province of Baetica.

Barba divided his time between his priestly duties and a close study of the ores of this region and their treatment.

There had been, since 1570, a complete revolution in the treatment of silver ores, through the application of mercury, and a number of improvements followed, of which Barba had knowledge.

In 1640 he published in Madrid a book entitled Arte de los Metales, the earliest work on South American ores and minerals.